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I love books! My love of them started with Dick and Jane and I've never looked back. I love all kinds of books but on my blog I review Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. I also have a family, two sons and a great husband! I have one rescue dog, Jasper who hates text messages and thunder and fireworks and loves snow. I have a BA in English Lit from the University of Florida and spend time writing when I get the chance. I am not accepting review requests. Be kind to yourself and others.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

RippleBy Mandy Hubbard RazorbillAvailable Now260 pages$16.99

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?

Ripple was a fantastic surprise to me! I was expecting a good read, Mandy Hubbard is a seasoned author. But I wasn't expecting anything like this. From the beginning the book is tragic telling us of Lexie, the siren, who killed her first boyfriend, Steven, on her sixteenth birthday, accidentally. She didn't know she was a siren. Her father left she and her mother and his mother when she was little. Then her mother died. There was no one around to tell her. She still doesn't really understand. All she knows is that she has to swim all night every night since her sixteenth birthday and sing her song. She never sleeps, she has no need for it, not anymore.

Lexie has pushed everyone away so that she doesn't accidentally hurt anyone with her curse. She goes to school and comes home to fix dinner for she and her diabetic grandmother. Then, when the sun goes down, she takes her clunker car and drives the mountain roads to a hidden lake to swim in, secluded from anyone, sure that no one will find her.But somebody is at the lake one night when she walks up, just staring at the water and when he doesn't leave, she has to. But she's betting that tomorrow will be painful, like walking on glass and stomach cramps like the flu and if he's there tomorrow.....she'll swim with or without him there.

The perpetrator from the night before is Cole, Steven's best friend. When he tries to talk to her she snubs him, keeping her walls up. That's not new. "So you're sticking with the ice-queen thing again this year, huh?" (p.8) he asks her. But he continues his attempts to talk to her and then they are thrown together along with Sienna, Lexie's ex-bff and Steven's sister, for a group project. Sienna is nasty to her but Cole still attempts to be nice. And as much as Lexie craves human contact, she tries to keep her walls up. Car won't start, Cole offers to fix it and loans Lexie his SUV. Walls come down. It's the beginning of a new day for Lexie. For the last two years the only friend she's had is a gravestone, Steven's, to talk to which she visits nightly before her swim.

Now to me, there seemed to be just a few characters that were important. Cole who seems like a genuinely nice guy and is interested in a relationship with Lexie. Sienna, who is stuck in the past. And Erik the new guy who claims he can help Lexie break her curse, but at high cost. Everyone else are just the sheep, following Sienna and whatever she says. As soon as she says go they run. And Sienna blames Lexie for Steven's death. So, everyone does and they whisper behind her back even two years later.

The entire story is told through Lexie's point of view, first person so we know what she's thinking and feeling. Some of it is so far beyond the typical teenage angst because of her curse it really hurts to read. And some of it is typical teenage hijinks. But as we begin to question things, so does she. Actually she started asking questions before I did, so I'm not smarter than this particular teenager. But I knew something was off.

The ending is absolutely spectacular! I did not see that coming at all. I thought there would be some something (trying not to spoil anything) but I did not go that far in my imagination! This was a great summer read and a great Siren story to add to your list!

I don't recall any language but there is some sexual content. So you make the judgement call on that. Not explicit at all. You just know it happens. Teenage drinking.

Heather

Too bad someone didn't do a Siren/Mermaid challenge this year. I think we have enough books to cover it!

Oh yes to all of you! I'll eat the cover if you aren't surprised by the ending! And if you don't love it. (I do get indigestion pretty easy so please love it!) But the author covered up the ending very well. Of course, now you all know to look for it, but still, you'll never guess. I just loved it. Yeah, Small, you can feel how her life is just day to day and sad. And the guilt!

Gotta say - this book looks cool, though my goodness, it's expensive! I'm a bit tight when it comes to paying for books. I only read e-books since I moved to Dubai and won't pay more than a fiver for one, unless I'm really convinced or its a series I'm hooked on. But even then I tend to wait for a special offer or something.

I actually have a book tour YA author over at mine this weekend - Shea Berkeley: The Marked Son. You could win the e-book! http://wordsinsync.blogspot.com/2011/07/weekend-creation-blog-hop-guest-post-by_29.html

Hey Shah- I only post the actually book price, not the Kindle price. I don't do e-books because they give me migraines. Yep, fine getting ready to post my creative attempt on my writing blog.

Bailey-Maybe some big mountain men?? Woodsmen like from Sisters Red?? You still need to be wary of rivers!

Kelsa- First person is I, third person is Lexie looked at the stars. That's what I learned anyway. (From studying other languages) I think it's actually (in proper terms)Third Person Limited in that she's limited to telling her own thoughts and feelings.

This sounds like a really interesting read, and not what I'm used to! I like the idea of how she has to swim every night, and has learned to avoid everyone in a sense. I'm excited to see where this one goes. Great review!

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